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-- J.R.R. Tolkien The
Children of Hurin
- Curcumin -
See also Curcumin, Copper, Vitamin
D
[Need more info-- Read in
Reader's Digest-- villages in India where there is a low incidence
of AD. Could be a genetic thing, like the villages in Italy
where heart disease is rare.]
Some observations on the spectrum of
dementia
Neurology India, Year: 2004 Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Page:
213-214
Sanjeev Jha, R Patel
Department of Neurology, SGPGIMS, Lucknow, India
A study was
designed to generate epidemiological and clinical data on
dementia, in a teaching hospital in India. It was conducted on 124
(94 male and 30 female) elderly patients (aged more than 60 years)
presenting with clinical syndrome of dementia (DSM-3). Their age
range was 64-78 (mean 65.7 4.1) years. Detailed clinical,
biochemical, radiological and electrophysiological evaluation was
done to establish etiology. Patients with psychiatric ailments,
cranial trauma and tumors were excluded. The study period was 4.2
years. Multi-infarct dementia (MID) was observed to be commonest
cause of dementia and was present in 59 (47.6%) cases. There were
10 (8%) patients each of tuberculosis (TB) and neurocysticercosis
(NCC). Alcohol-related dementia was present in 13 (10.5%), while
malnutrition (Vitamin B12 deficiency) was present in 9 (7.2%).
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) was present (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) in 6
patients (4.8%). There were 3 (2.4%) cases 1 each of Huntington's
disease, Parkinson's and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and 2 each
of diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Creutzfeldt'
Jakob Disease. We conclude that AD, which is irreversible and
common in the west, is relatively uncommon in India as compared to
MID, infections and malnutrition, which are potentially treatable.
http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2004;volume=52;issue=2;spage=213;epage=214;aulast=Jha
A report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, February 18, 2005 uses the phrase "disaggregated" amyloid-β fibrils. Does this mean it disolved amyloid-β?
From Wikipedia: Little
curcumin is absorbed. Co-supplementation with 20mg piperine
(extract of black pepper, a.k.a. Bioperine) increased absorption
by 2000%. However, peperine can interfere with the
metabolism of other drugs, and should be taken with caution, if at
all. I'm leaning toward not using peperine.
Curcumin is also a potent iron
and copper chelator.
In a study using mice, low-dose
curcumin was found to enhance adult
hippocampal neurogenesis.
See, Curcumin stimulates
proliferation of embryonic neural progenitor cells and
neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. High dose
levels were found to be "cytotoxic": "Curcumin exerted biphasic
effects on cultured NPC - low concentrations stimulated cell
proliferation, whereas high concentrations were cytotoxic."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18362141?dopt=Abstract
There are anectdotal reports
that 500mg of curcumin twice per day will "normalize" high blood
pressure. Those who are on blood pressure medications for
high blood pressure should be aware of the possibility of
overmedication should this effect of curcumin develop.
Effect on TNF-Alpha:
I know that curcumin is used as
an anti-inflammatory agent, so I searched Google on curcumin and
TNF. I found research papers saying that curcumin inhibited TNF,
and some that said that it "sensitized" cancer cells to TNF (which
I guess is a good thing). Here's and example:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T4P-3YVDRW0-6P&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=7a734d2000776a9f4ca641b1bd4aae02
Scientists ID possible biomarker to
gauge Alzheimer's prognosis, effect of therapies
University of California - Los Angeles
17-Mar-2011
...They incubated the immune cells overnight with amyloid beta to
test the cells' ability to "turn on" MGAT3. They also added a
synthetic form of curcumin to some of the cells to gauge the
effect it had on MGAT3 expression and the absorption of amyloid
beta.
Based on the results, the researchers identified three groups of
Alzheimer's patients.
Type 0 patients: This group had very low expression of MGAT3 and
very low absorption rates of amyloid beta.
Type I patients: This group also had low expression of MGAT3 and
low amyloid beta absorption rates, but the strength of the MGAT3
message and the absorption of amyloid beta increased when
researchers stimulated the macrophages with synthetic curcumin.
Type II patients: This group initially had high amyloid beta
absorption rates, but when scientists added synthetic curcumin,
MGAT3 expression lessened and absorption was reduced.
In addition, researchers found that for Type I and Type II
patients, the clearing of amyloid beta was dependent on vitamin
D3, a type of vitamin D that occurs naturally in these cells. When
they blocked vitamin D3 use by the macrophages in the laboratory,
they found that absorption of amyloid beta suffered.
"These findings demonstrate three very different levels of
immunity and possible reactions to natural therapies of vitamin D3
and curcumin," Fiala said. "These differences could point to a new
way to track the progression of Alzheimer's disease and the
effectiveness of these natural therapies based on an individual
patient's immunity."
Fourteen of the 20 Alzheimer's disease patients have been followed
for two years, and researchers noted that those who were Type 0
had a worse two-year prognosis regarding the loss of their ability
to live independently than the other two types of patients...
During the study, researchers also noted that one Type II patient
who underwent hip surgery experienced temporary cognitive
dysfunction related to the general surgery anesthesia, which is a
phenomenon that can occur. Researchers checked the patient's MGAT3
immunity and found that the patient's ability to clear amyloid
beta had declined after surgery but improved in later months,
along with cognitive function, possibly due to the vitamin D3
supplementation the patient had undertaken...
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/uoc--sip031711.php
Common Yellow Lab Dye Profoundly
Extends Lifespan in Healthy Nematodes, and Slows Alzheimer's
Disease-Like Pathology in Worms
ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2011) — Basic Yellow 1, a dye used in
neuroscience laboratories around the world to detect damaged
protein in Alzheimer's disease, is a wonder drug for nematode
worms. In a study appearing in Nature, the dye, also known as
Thioflavin T (ThT)... Alavez said curcumin, the active ingredient in the popular
Indian spice turmeric, also had a significant positive impact on
both healthy worms and those bred to express a gene associated
with Alzheimer's. "People have been making claims about the health
benefits of curcumin for many years. Maybe slowing aging is part
of its mechanism of action,"...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330131258.htm
Reference:
Silvestre Alavez, Maithili C. Vantipalli, David J. S. Zucker, Ida
M. Klang, Gordon J. Lithgow. Amyloid-binding
compounds
maintain
protein
homeostasis
during ageing and extend lifespan. Nature, 2011
Evaluation of local
drug-delivery system containing 2% whole turmeric gel used as
an adjunct to scaling and root planing in chronic
periodontitis: A clinical and microbiological study.
J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2011 Jan;15(1):35-8.
Behal R, Mali AM, Gilda SS, Paradkar AR.
SourceDepartment of Periodontology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental
College and Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Abstract
AIM: To compare the effect of experimental local-drug delivery
system containing 2% whole turmeric (gel form) as an adjunct to
scaling and root planing (SRP) with the effect achieved using
SRP alone by assessing their respective effects on plaque,
gingival inflammation, bleeding on probing pocket depth,
relative attachment levels and trypsin-like enzyme activity of
"red complex" microorganisms, namely, Bacteroides forsythus,
Porphvromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty subjects with chronic localized or
generalized periodontitis with pocket depth of 5 to 7 mm were
selected in a split-mouth study design. Control sites received
SRP alone, while experimental sites received SRP plus
experimental material (2% whole turmeric gel). Plaque index
(PI), gingival index (GI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing
pocket depth (PPD), relative attachment loss (RAL),
microbiological study of collected plaque sample for
trypsin-like activity of "red complex" by BAPNA assay were the
parameters recorded on day 0, 30 days and 45 days.
RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated statistically significant
reduction in PI, GI, SBI, PPD; and gain in RAL. Significant
reduction in the trypsin-like enzyme activity of "red complex"
(BAPNA values) was observed for both the groups when compared to
the baseline activity. Greater reduction was seen in all the
parameters in the experimental group in comparison to the
control group.
CONCLUSION: The experimental local drug-delivery system
containing 2% whole turmeric gel can be effectively used as an
adjunct to scaling and root planing and is more effective than
scaling and root planing alone in the treatment of periodontal
pockets.
PMID:21772719[PubMed - in process] PMCID: PMC3134044
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21772719
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134044/?tool=pubmed
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